Jeff,
When I first read your post about the bearing caps being in the wrong
place, I thought that the mechanic had only moved the whole rod
assembly. These are not usually cylinder specific although a lot of
older English stuff was all hand matched due to using pre WWII machinery
and not holding a reasonable tolerance. On my MGA there is a number
stamped next to each cylinder and a corresponing number on each piston.
If the mechanic had indeed mixed up the rod caps then by all means put
them back to right. The same number should be next to each other on the
rod and the cap. Take a look at your mains also. Not that you can get
the wrong one in the wrong place on a 3 main car but the middle one
should say "front" on one side.
As far as which Plastigage to buy, it depends on what the clearance
specs are. The stuff is cheap and nice to have around so I would by the
a size or two above and below the expected gap.
A quick way to see if your crank is "flat" is to use Plastigage with the
piston at TDC and again halfway up/down the bore. The two measurements
shoud be the same or at least both within shouting distance of the
proper clearance.
I would not doubt that the oil pump is your main culprit to low
pressure. Extra clearance here can spell low oil pressure. Personally,
as long as I know the condition of the engine, I don't worry that much
about the pressure at hot idle. As long as it gets over 35 psi at
cruise you should be able to keep the cam and valve gear lubed. I use
Mobil 1 as well since every little bit helps. I used Castrol for the
first 500 miles after new rings then made the switch.
As far as the antifreeze in the oil, My thoughts are with you that this
is just a head gasket or maybe some splashed inside on dissasembly.
Good luck,
Bill Eastman
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